


Stalker

by Dmnq8



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Angst, Clueless!Sasuke, Crack, Humor, M/M, Mutual Masturbation, Parody
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-21
Updated: 2010-07-20
Packaged: 2018-02-11 06:31:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2057532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dmnq8/pseuds/Dmnq8
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was part obsession, part downright nosiness. He wanted to know all Naruto's business. Plus, Naruto was hot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

His customary spot is actually taken. When, in the history of his obsession, had someone ever had the unmitigated gall to sit their asses in his spot? It didn't even compute. Not that he broadcasted the fact, but him in that spot was a sight all villagers were accustomed to seeing. Like the Hokage monument. Nobody in their right mind would have the balls to sit in his spot, and for what?! To litter his space with sunflower seeds?

The teen boys giggled as they pointed out interesting parts of anatomy in the skin mag they were sharing. They ate sunflower seeds and spat the empty husks on the roof between their feet. The thud of someone landing behind them had them turning around guiltily… then they drew closer together in fright.

"I suppose you're going to tell me you didn't know this place is off limits?" Sasuke murmured.

The shorter boy licked his lips nervously, the sight of the Sharingan putting a knot of cold dread in his belly. "N-no. We didn't… I mean-"

He waited but between the two of them, they didn't seem to possess enough brain cells to string a coherent sentence together. When the taller one stooped, picked up the magazine and offered it to Sasuke with a sycophantic smile, Sasuke felt he'd had enough. "Get out of my sight." He sped them along with a minor katon.

Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Sasuke swept the still-moist sunflower seed shells off his spot on the roof with the side of his foot. Then he sat. Creature of habit that he was, the object of his obsession entered the apartment building across the street not long afterward. There was a wait of precisely fifty-seven seconds and then the light in the window, two down and four left, came on. Sasuke settled down to observe.

His spot was perfect, almost directly across from Naruto's apartment and partially hidden from immediate sight by a large tree. He saw the blond take off his jacket and throw it to the right, the same as every night. He watched his team mate. The way he always watched him.

* * *

_Naruto won. At The Valley of the End, he'd won and Sasuke had regained consciousness to find himself being carried on Kakashi's back, a medic-nin to his right carrying Naruto. The Fifth had been pissed beyond words and he'd had to do a lot of community service to make up for leaving the village the way he had. He'd been forced to apologize formally, in her presence, to the people who'd risked, and nearly lost, their lives trying to bring him back._

_But all that was after the hospital. Naruto had been in the hospital for a couple of days and Sasuke had been in the bed next to him, sharing the room. He'd recovered consciousness first and spent long hours staring at the comatose form of his teammate._

_He squirmed inwardly at the things that had been said between them during that fight. They were acceptably dramatic things to say if you were going to kill someone or walk out on them later… but he was still here. And facing Naruto with those words between them…_

_He'd shuddered. Well… maybe Naruto wouldn't remember._

_Right. Like he wouldn't remember that Naruto had said Sasuke was important to him? Not likely. It was as if all the things that had gone unsaid between them up to that point just came gushing out of their mouths._

_The power Naruto had used. The strength. Sasuke couldn't stop thinking about it. It still made him jealous as hell… but it was also intriguing. All those times the blonde had saved the day by pulling some amazing jutsu out of his ass… it hadn't been a fluke. Dude was seriously strong and it seemed to only really show when the kid was serious about something._

_There were guards outside his hospital room, seeded throughout the hospital and around it. They were to prevent him trying to leave again, but more importantly they were there to prevent anyone trying to make contact with Sasuke that wasn't strictly authorized by the Hokage._

-oOo-

_Sakura came to visit, crying all over him, hugging him, telling him she forgave him for not taking her, and nearly braining her with that blow. She said she understood and now that he was back, she could get down to showing him how much she really loved him._

_He'd looked down at her candy-pink hair where it rested on his arm. The silly bitch would drive him to commit seppuku, she would._

_Then Naruto had woken up and she'd flown to him and repeated the process, minus the declaration of love. So Naruto had promised to bring him back? His eyes had gone wide at the kiss she'd placed on Naruto's bandaged cheek. Naruto's face turned beet red as he stammered out an invitation for Sakura to date him. Sasuke had to hand it to the dobe, he was making good use of Sakura's softer feelings just then._

_Then Kakashi had come by, stayed, talked, lectured, stared with his creepy eye, and left. Sakura was gone too. The Fifth came by and checked on them, Shizune with her, then she was gone to check on the other Genin who'd been on the mission to save him._

_He supposed he should have felt guilty about their injuries, but all he could think about was the way Naruto kept his head turned away from him. He didn't look at Sasuke or acknowledge him in any way. He acted as if he had the room to himself. Why was the blonde ignoring him?_

_Oh right. He'd tried to kill him._

_Well… that didn't mean he had to go all silent. Sasuke felt like they'd shared something profound in that valley. You know… the kind of thing that sort of made it possible to overlook murder attempts. I mean, they'd_ bared _their_ souls _out there. It was bigger than Sakura's ridiculous confession of love, didn't the blonde see that? Naruto had said he'd bring Sasuke back even if he had to break every bone in his body. If that wasn't love, what was? Sasuke was ready to accept._

_Whoa. Time to back up. What? Accept his love? Where was this coming from?_

_But as he lay there on his side, staring at Naruto, who was staring out the window, he couldn't deny it. Maybe it wasn't love but it was something gooey and warm. It made him feel tingly. It made him want Naruto to look at him and say those things again._

_Nurses came and went. Lee came to visit Naruto, eyeing Sasuke warily. He and the blonde talked animatedly about some guy who shot bones out of his body. Then Lee talked about how Gaara had come and saved the day. Kiba came and similarly ignored Sasuke. He talked to Naruto and Lee, saying how Kankurou had saved his hide. By the time Shikamaru stopped by, also ignoring Sasuke, and completed the picture about the Sand trio helping out, Sasuke was jealous. Naruto spoke to everyone but him._

_They left. Sasuke was alone with him. The blonde stared at the wall. Sasuke fell asleep staring at his profile, replaying everything that had been said at the valley._

-oOo-

_In the morning, he woke up to find some white-haired man in the window talking to Naruto. He told the blonde how he should come with him for awhile to train. Akatsuki was after him and he needed to learn to watch his back. To Sasuke's disbelief, Naruto agreed. Like, he hadn't even_ hesitated _._

_The man left._

_Sasuke, able to sit up now, propped himself on his pillows. He opened his mouth to say something. Nothing came out. Then he said, "You shouldn't have come after me." He winced. He hadn't meant to say that at all._

_Naruto looked at him at last. "You shouldn't have tried to leave."_

_"My clan… Itachi-"_

_"You can find people to train you here without going to Orochimaru." Naruto's brows were drawn together, his hand fisted on the covers._

_"Like who? You?"_

_"You know I'd have helped you do anything, Sasuke. How could you betray the village?"_

_Sasuke was happy to have words and eye contact, but he was still… hurt… that Naruto was leaving. "Guess you can't help me with anything now since you're leaving yourself."_

_Naruto hadn't responded to that, looking at Sasuke with an intense expression. Sasuke had started to ask Naruto if he'd consider staying, but hesitated. What reason could he give for the request? Then The Fifth had come in, irritable and barking orders. Naruto was pronounced well enough to be discharged. Sasuke had needed to remain in the hospital under observation for his curse seal. When he got out of the hospital a week later, Naruto was gone. Off with the person Sasuke learned was one of the three Sannin. He was jealous all over again. Naruto got to leave to gain strength, but he had to stay in the village._

 

* * *

 

Naruto had gotten back three months ago. He'd strolled into the village with Jiraiya. Sasuke happened to be avoiding Sakura when a voice had stopped him in the street. He'd turned around, looked up…

"I see you're still here, Sasuke. I was afraid I'd get back and find you gone," the blonde had said. He jumped down and landed with a thud a few feet from Sasuke. Sakura jogged up then and stopped short. She gasped.

"Naruto? Is that _you?_ "

That was what Sasuke wanted to know. He'd really grown. He was still wearing orange, still lean, but he'd really grown.

"Heh heh, yup! Neh, Sakura-chan-"

Sasuke had tuned out whatever was being said. He'd thought about him during his absence, sure. Hard not to, seeing as Naruto was the reason he was stuck in the village, his vengeance languishing by the wayside. The feelings he'd discovered in the hospital had been neatly sealed away with every other feeling that wasn't hateful and antagonistic. He was emo and proud of it; it kept people from bugging him. Except Sakura, but she could scarcely be termed human anyway, so she didn't count.

Somehow that feeling suddenly came back at the sight of Naruto. He didn't bother to analyze it, really. It was there, he liked it, done. He felt his heart pick up a few extra beats as Naruto, apparently done talking to Sakura, turned to him.

"Hey," Naruto said.

"Hey."

"So."

"What."

"You… look good?"

Sasuke dropped his eyes and glanced down himself. His usual attire of black shirt and white pants hadn't changed. Still, the comment pleased. He looked back up. Said nothing.

Naruto seemed disappointed that the conversation didn't continue, but before Sasuke could make a save, some other people jogged up and Naruto was swallowed in the enthusiastic greetings. Sasuke was ignored as usual. He didn't have/need/want friends.

-oOo-

Sometime during the next weeks he found himself staring at Naruto a lot. So much so that Sakura noticed. He'd begun finding places to stare at him without Sakura being around, which had led to the stalking. Or so he believed. He didn't really know how he ended up stalking the guy, but once he realized what he was doing, he didn't want to stop.

It was part obsession, part downright nosiness. He wanted to know all Naruto's business. Plus, Naruto was hot.

Hotness. That subject, when Sasuke deigned to notice himself checking out Naruto's body, needed investigating. Until Naruto, Sasuke had not, to his knowledge, ever found anyone hot. He couldn't have defined the term had he been asked, nor was he interested in hotness or people considered to have this quality.

But then Naruto had come back and he'd happened to overhear Sakura telling their fellow team mate, Sai, how hot Naruto had gotten… and he'd suddenly agreed. Naruto was just fine, plain and simple. He didn't look like anyone else, didn't move like anyone else. Sasuke found himself panting whenever he stared at the blonde for extended periods of time. Definite hotness.

Speaking of Sai. Whatever could have possessed the gods to befoul the earth with such a piece of shit, Sasuke didn't know, but he couldn't _stand_ the fucker. Kakashi had announced that Sai was replacing Naruto shortly after the blonde left. Sasuke felt his relationship with the asshole could best be summed up as a murder waiting to happen. If it wasn't for the fact that everyone knew Sasuke wanted Sai dead, he'd have scratched that particular itch a long time ago.

First there had been the comments about Sasuke's lack of certain key appendages. He'd had to actually ask the bastard to repeat himself, stunned out of his skull that someone would have the balls to speak to an Uchiha like that. Sai had cheerfully obliged and Sakura had punched Sasuke senseless to keep him from ripping Sai's tongue out. As it was, Sai spent time in the hospital and had been unable to speak for a few days, stitches in his tongue.

Then there was that whole fake bullshit about him being emotionally cut off and in need of 'rescuing from the black depths of his retarded upbringing in Root'. Sasuke called him on that blatant attempt to get girls. Sai then had the nerve to suggest Sasuke wanted Sakura himself, within the bitch's hearing no less, and then it had been Kakashi pulling him off Sai, a handful of the shit's black hair in his fist. Still, he'd managed to launch a fireball at Sai, while Kakashi had him in a full nelson. Sai had spent three weeks in the hospital with second degree burns, which had done wonders for Sasuke's mood. He'd almost been polite to Sakura, he'd been so happy to have the jackass out of his face.

Sai hadn't seemed to have any hard feelings about being roasted or snatched bald-headed when he was discharged. He didn't mind anything, plastering on those fake smiles that positively begged for the jerk to be put out of his misery. Sasuke hated him almost as much as he hated Itachi.

* * *

Sasuke blew out a breath now, not wanting to taint his precious observation time with thoughts of that douche. He made himself comfortable, watching as Naruto sat on his battered sofa with a cup of instant ramen. He switched on his ancient television set and proceeded to lose himself in the lineup of prime time comedy he watched every evening.

The chopsticks would dip into the cup between seven and twelve times before the noodles were done, unless he happened to be eating from a family-sized cup. He wasn't. Each slurp lasted four point five seconds. Thirteen chews, swallow, repeat. Belch into a ruddy fist, reach for the next cup, which had been cooking while he ate. Naruto always fell asleep before the fifth program started, woke when there was nothing but snow on the TV, then trudged sleepily to his room, where he undressed, put on his pajamas, and flopped onto his bed. Only then would Sasuke get up and go to his own apartment.


	2. Chapter 2

Late. Good.

Sasuke rolled over and smashed his alarm clock with the flat of his hand, shutting it up. Kakashi had said to be at the training grounds by 7 am in order to be ready for the mission at 8. It was 8 now.

He took his sweet time getting dressed. Dogs would shit solid gold before Kakashi ever showed up anywhere on time. No point in getting there too early. He took every meandering path he could find on his way to the training grounds.

-oOo-

Consequently, Sai, Sakura and Naruto were already there. His eyes went straight to Naruto.

Sakura spotted him, nudged Sai, and the two rushed to occupy the spaces to either side of Naruto, bracketing him where he sat. Sakura gave a tight little smile that Sasuke felt was proof of her satanic parentage. The bitch could only be from the lowest pits of hell.

"Seriously?" Sasuke drawled as he strolled up. "What, like I can't haul your narrow ass up from that spot?" Sai, he ignored. For the moment. He'd just eaten and didn't feel his stomach would be able to withstand conversation with the fucker too soon.

Sakura wrapped her arms around a bewildered Naruto's neck. "Naruto won't let you hurt me… will you Naruto?" She smiled sweetly at him, banking on his crush on her.

"Uh, why would Sasuke want to hurt you? You three have been really strange since I got back, you know that?" Naruto said as he pried one of her arms from his throat.

Sasuke folded his own arms over his chest. "Move, bitch."

Naruto glanced up at the term, but Sasuke was looking at Sakura. She stood and stared eye to eye with the Uchiha. "Or what?" she challenged. Her voice was steely. "You won't hit a girl."

Sasuke punched her in her ugly face as hard as he could. Sai shaded his eyes to follow her progress as she sailed across the training grounds, her shriek fading with distance.

Shockingly, Naruto didn't say anything. He only looked over his shoulder once as Sakura flew past before turning back around to examine his nails. Sasuke plopped down next to him.

"I'm telling Kakashi-sensei," Sai stated. Then he got up to sit on Sasuke's other side, giving him one of those huge fake smiles while he was at it. Sasuke stared at those white teeth.

A dilemma. On the one hand, Naruto sitting next to him. Major goodness. On the other hand, Sai invading his personal space, breathing his air, _existing._ Major opportunity for a fatal accident. Would Naruto take it amiss if he opened Sai's throat right now? He hadn't seemed to mind Sakura getting her just desserts. Sasuke felt he could risk it. He slipped his hand into his weapon's holster, fondling a kunai.

He supposed to Naruto it _would_ seem like they've been acting strange, but that was only because ole blue eyes didn't know that Sai and Sakura were doing everything in their power to keep Sasuke from him. And for no other reason than that his stalking the blonde was amusing to them, therefore keeping him from Naruto was doubly amusing.

Kakashi arrived amidst a cloud of smoke. "Good morning," he said jovially. He raised a hand to wave at them, then noticed there were only three pupils. "Where is Sakura?"

"Hopefully back in hell where she belongs," Sasuke muttered. He felt a stab of happiness when Naruto snorted a short laugh into his fist.

Kakashi looked over their heads at something behind them. "Ah, here she comes now. My, she looks upset, doesn't she?"

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, but didn't do her the courtesy of acknowledging her as a threat; he remained seated. Four male heads turned to the irate kunoichi as she stormed up to them and pointed at Sasuke. "Sensei," she said shrilly. "Sasuke should be suspended from the team. His habits are interfering with our teamwork."

"How so?" Kakashi asked with interest.

Here Sakura turned to face the three sitting boys with a look of triumph. Her new black eye seemed to make her expression look even worse. She pointed to the middle boy. "Sasuke's in love with Naruto!"

Even the birds grew still and silent at this pronouncement. Sasuke was busy running through the route Sakura took to go home, analyzing it for possible ambush opportunities. He would make it look like an accident, but that would be the only mercy he'd show her.

Had he not been so preoccupied with homicidal thoughts, he would have noticed that everyone waited a few crucial seconds for him to deny this claim. When these seconds were up and no denial was forthcoming, everyone reacted differently.

Sai actually frowned. Sakura gasped, putting her hands over her mouth. She hadn't really thought Sasuke was in love with the blonde, she'd only wanted to embarrass him the way he'd embarrassed her. Kakashi made a small sound, scratching the back of his head.

Naruto turned his head to look at Sasuke… who was only now blinking his way from thoughts of breaking Sakura's neck. He glanced around at the expressions and cursed inwardly at not contradicting the hoe.

Kakashi broke the painful silence. "Well. As interesting as that is, it's not a reason to suspend him, Sakura. Now, let us get on with the mission."

This took them out of the village. They didn't go out as a team often, seeing as how most of them were Chuunin now, but once in awhile they had something requiring all their skills. Sasuke asked, for the thousandth time, why Sai was still even part of the team since Naruto was back. "Hokage's orders," was all the Jounin said. At least the mission was A-rank. It was difficult enough to distract everyone from Sakura's announcement, but Sasuke hadn't forgotten about what she'd done. Far from it.

* * *

At the end of the mission, once they'd made their report to the Fifth and were leaving the Hokage building, Naruto surprised Sasuke by turning to him.

Sasuke managed to speak first. "Look, about what she said-"

"Wanna go get some ramen?" Naruto interrupted.

"Uh… yeah, okay."

Sasuke felt sick with excitement. His stomach hovered on the verge of throwing up as he walked in the late afternoon sunshine next to Naruto. _Next_ to him. Naruto had asked him to _eat_ with him. After a while of forcibly trying not to grin, he realized that Naruto kept sneaking looks at him. Sasuke felt these looks on his face. Naruto and his fine self was checking him out! Maybe Naruto thought he was fine too!

"So," Naruto said.

Sasuke noticed the blond began a lot of conversations this way. "So?"

"Sakura…"

"Bitch."

"Yeah." Naruto snickered, which made Sasuke grin. "What she said, though…?"

Sasuke waited for the rest of the question, but Naruto only looked at him expectantly. "I never told her anything like that," he said at last.

"You didn't?"

"No."

"Why'd she say it then?"

"Maybe 'cause I punched her?"

"That was sweet."

Sasuke raised a brow, surprised. "Yeah?"

"Been dying to hit her back for years. Ero-sennin says there are other ways to sweeten women's ways, though."

They were at Ichiraku Ramen. They sat, ordered, began eating. When they were on their second bowls, Sasuke said, "Bet you learned a lot of cool moves with the Sannin."

"Yeah."

"Lucky fuck. What's the strongest move you can do?"

Sasuke listened as Naruto went through a list of jutsu that sounded interesting, but not particularly impressive. He let the blond drone on as he marveled that he was actually having dinner with Naruto instead of watching him from afar. It gave him a moment's pause… After all, he'd been around Naruto countless times, what made this time so special?

-oOo-

They left the restaurant and just walked. After awhile, Sasuke realized they were heading to Naruto's place. He noticed the blonde sneaking peeks at him again. After awhile, Naruto spoke. "Actually… there's this one move I learned that's pretty cool."

"Tell."

A devilish look appeared on Naruto's face. "Not really supposed to talk about it."

"Sounds forbidden," Sasuke breathed. He moved a little closer to Naruto, trying to see his face better in the dark. "What is it?"

"Something I saw Ero-Sennin doing. It's called…" Naruto stopped in the middle of the deserted road and looked around. He put a hand to his mouth and whispered: "Jack-off no Jutsu."

Sasuke blinked, whispering as well. "Jack-off no Jutsu? Sounds violent. Is it an offensive move?"

Naruto paused, searching Sasuke's eyes with a light in his own. "Maybe you've heard of it…"

"Why would I? I'm not the one who's been training with one of the legendary Sannin, am I? You think Jounins know this move? Maybe Kakashi knows it."

Naruto thoughtfully resumed walking. "He's always reading those dirty books," he said. "I guarantee you he does."

"What does one have to do with the other?"

"What do you mean? You know what those books are about."

"Never really cared, actually. So tell me about this move. How long did it take you to learn it?"

"Took no time at all." Naruto gave him another sidelong look. "It's pretty easy."

"Offensive or defensive?" Sasuke asked again.

"Mmm, neither. It's more like a strengthening move. The longer you can last, the stronger you're getting."

"Sugoi," Sasuke hissed. "Jiraiya must last days, neh?"

Naruto burst into screaming laughter, slapping his thigh. "Yeah, to hear him tell it! He lasted over an hour this one time. I can go about twenty minutes."

"How often do you do it?"

Naruto's face turned pink, which had Sasuke frowning in puzzlement. "More often now that I'm back in the village, I'll tell you that."

Sasuke nodded sagely. "Don't want to get weaker now that you're not with Jiraiya, right?"

He caught the blue eyes staring at him in the velvety twilight. "Something like that," Naruto said softly.

"Did you have to learn any foundation jutsu before Jiraiya taught you, or-"

"Ero-sennin didn't teach me this," Naruto smiled. "I just saw him doing it all the time whenever he thought I wasn't around. Decided to try it myself."

Sasuke digested this. A forbidden move that the blonde had taught himself… like Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. The awesomeness of Jack-off no Jutsu must be off the charts, he thought in wonder.

Naruto stopped. They were outside his apartment building. He gave Sasuke a wide grin. "Want to come over tomorrow? We don't have any missions."

Sasuke said he'd be there. He watched Naruto jog into his building, before disappearing to his customary spot and settling down to watch the blonde.

* * *

Naruto didn't immediately fling his jacket aside this time. He entered his apartment and at first just stood with his back to the door, apparently thinking. After awhile, he slowly made his way to his bedroom.

Sasuke frowned at this break in routine. Then he brightened. He'd had dinner with Naruto, walked him home, and was scheduled to hang out with the guy the following day.

Oh yeah. Life was good.


	3. Chapter 3

 

Sai waited until well after the village was asleep that night to enter Sakura's bedroom through the window she left open for him. He climbed up and over as silently as a shadow and found her sitting up in bed waiting for him. This was a nightly routine.

They listened to the faint creak of her parents bedsprings. Sakura, disgusted, turned her mind from thoughts of her parents having sex to Sai. "Well?"

"They ate ramen at that joint Naruto likes, then walked back to Naruto's place. They talked." Sai sat cross-legged at the foot of her bed.

"Did you hear what they said?"

"Nope. But Sasuke seemed interested in what Naruto had to say."

Sakura waved a hand dismissively. "And after?"

"He watched Naruto in his apartment, same as every night."

Sakura nodded, picking at the lace hem of her pajama top. She and Sai took turns stalking Sasuke every night, but they always met back here to go over what they'd learned. Which was never much.

They had a bet going to see which of them would get Sasuke. Sai insisted that the Uchiha's animosity toward him was sexual tension in disguise. Sakura felt that being the only girl on the team and the object of both Naruto and Lee's affections meant her charms would win Sasuke over in time. Curiously, this rivalry for Sasuke did not stain Sai and Sakura's friendship with jealousy. They were good-natured about it, if intent on their separate goals. Separate, but the same goal.

Tonight's meeting was flavored with added spice, though. Sai came to the point. "You really fucked up, declaring Sasuke's feelings like that. Did you see the way Naruto looked at him afterwards?"

Sakura swelled indignantly. "How was I supposed to know it was true? Just because he stalks him, and stares at him, and has that secret tattoo of the Uzumaki swirl on his ass doesn't mean he's in love with Naruto."

Sai nearly choked. "When did he get a tattoo? And what the hell do you think all that means if not love?"

Sakura looked aside, unwilling to admit her guilt. "He got it during that stupid meeting of Root you went to last month."

"So you've taken to spying on him in the bathhouses? You girls are sick."

"Nevermind that. Naruto, he's the focus of this meeting. Do you think he has feelings for Sasuke?"

Sai resisted giving her another black eye to match the one she already had. "It would seem so. He's certainly nothing like you described before he left the village."

Sakura was forced to agree. Naruto had come back a different person. Harder. Distant somehow. A little cold, if that was possible. He was still a friendly person, quick to laugh, but there were silences to him now that made it clear that he had weighty thoughts on his mind.

"Well until I see him stalking Sasuke too, I'm going to assume he doesn't," Sakura said. "Besides, he loves me."

Sai refrained from pointing out evidence to the contrary. Sakura was incredibly blind when she wanted to be.

* * *

Sasuke woke early the next day and was meticulous about his morning ablutions. He cleaned under his nails, brushed his hair until it gleamed and made sure his clothes were freshly pressed. He checked his weapons, making sure he was prepared for whatever this awesome jutsu would require. Naruto hadn't said he'd teach him, but why else would he have invited Sasuke over?

-oOo-

When he knocked on Naruto's door, it was pulled open before he could even lower his hand. Naruto stood there in a black shirt and his signature track pants. He too looked freshly scrubbed. "You came!" he said happily. Then he sniggered, as if that comment was funny.

Sasuke entered when bade to do so and stood in the middle of the room. Naruto stood behind him, watching Sasuke look around.

The place was clean, Sasuke saw. He quickly lost interest and turned to stare at Naruto instead.

Naruto stared back. He took a step closer to Sasuke, saw that he didn't back down, and lunged. His arms came around Sasuke as his lips pursed and sought to make contact with the gaping mouth in front of him.

" _Wha_ t are you _doing_?" Sasuke cried. He got his arms up and shoved Naruto away from him. He was breathing heavily, backing away from Naruto's eager expression.

"You know what I'm doing," Naruto chided. "You wouldn't have come here otherwise." He advanced, making Sasuke's hands twitch to form a hand seal.

"I came here to learn the Jack-Off no Jutsu…you looked like you were…like you were about to kiss me." There was the hint of a question and a world of complex emotions in that statement, Naruto saw. He stopped advancing.

"Get real," he snorted. "You know what I was really talking about when I said that. You wanted to pretend you didn't and I let you. I thought you knew that Sai was following us and didn't want to let on about what we were really discussing."

Sasuke's brows drew together. A lot of new information was being thrown his way and he didn't necessarily understand all of it. "Sai? And what we were really discussing was that move…what were _you_ discussing?" Had it all been some sort of secret code?

Naruto took a step back, rubbing his chin in thought. What he'd been trying to tell Sasuke, when he came up with that ridiculous name for what every red-blooded male did, was that he was interested in him. He hadn't been sure if Sasuke felt the same, but after Sakura's announcement, he'd figured he had a shot. He knew the guy watched him every night. What he didn't know was how Sasuke could be fifteen and not know what masturbation was. It was unheard of. What had he been doing in the village all this time? He decided to come right out and ask.

"Sasuke…you know what sex is, right?"

Sasuke had been in the process of peevishly straightening his clothes. "What men and women do together? What about it?"

"No really, do you know the specifics? Because you seemed not to know what Kakashi reads about."

"I don't care what Kakashi reads about."

"So what do you think sex is?"

Sasuke was still holding out hope of learning this elusive jutsu. He had to think a moment before he answered since he only had the vaguest notions about sex. He couldn't have cared less since he spent most of his time training or stalking Naruto. When he gave his account of what he thought sex was, Naruto put a hand over his mouth and slowly shook his head from side to side. "What," Sasuke said. "Did I leave something out? This is stupid, why are we even talking about this?"

"Don't you listen to guys talk or…or talk about it with Sai?"

"Don't make me hurt you, Naruto. You know I can't stand to look at Sai much less talk to him. And I pretty much avoid people."

Sasuke was a walking miracle, Naruto concluded. Probably the only teen in the world who was so clueless. Which left him with a dilemma.

"So…you really came here to learn a strengthening move?" He did not bring up his attempt to kiss Sasuke.

Sasuke was alert instantly. "Yes. You'll show me?"

Naruto wracked his brains but could think of no alternative to the actual act. It could be said he didn't try very hard to think of one. "If you want…but I mean it, it's secret."

"Got it." Sasuke spread his legs as if readying for combat.

Naruto sauntered to his bed and sat down. "The thing is, it's not talked about for a reason."

"And that is…?"

"It involves touching certain body parts." Naruto gave him a look from beneath his lashes. "You comfortable with your body, Sasuke?"

Sasuke ran a hand down his stomach. "I guess. Yes."

"I mean private areas of your body."

Sasuke looked at Naruto for a while. He didn't answer.

Naruto went on, undoing his pants and pulling them down to the blistering shock of Sasuke. "This is how you do it. Watch."

Sasuke watched, face burning, as Naruto worked himself in one hand. He kept his eyes trained on Sasuke the entire time. This intensified Sasuke's sense of shame, but he couldn't look away, or stop his involuntary flinch when Naruto spilled his liquid on the floor between his feet a few minutes later. His eyes stung in their sockets as he tried to swallow.

"You've got to be kidding," Sasuke rasped out. "That's the jutsu? That's gross!"

"I told you it wasn't spoken about. That it was forbidden."

Sasuke ventured closer, inspecting the small pool of creamy white on the floor. "I fail to see how that would make you stronger." He looked at Naruto's dick. It was half erect in his hand.

"That's because you haven't tried it. I understand if you're too chicken. It's not for the faint-hearted."

Sasuke sat beside him on the bed and hesitated. His hands gripped the coverlet by his hips before he hastily opened his own pants and took out his package. He saw Naruto staring down at it. "You sure this makes you stronger?"

Naruto nodded, his eyes lazy.

"What do I do?"

"You need to be hard. What excites you?"

"Fighting."

"No, I mean…well is there someone you like?"

"Like who?"

"Someone you love. A crush?"

Sasuke had loved Naruto since the hospital room. It was a sick, slavish sort of love, a worship of someone stronger, someone unreachable, who'd always managed to have the power that he so desperately longed for. It wasn't the slightest bit sexual (a term that never entered his mind) or satisfying in any way. His new-found opinion that Naruto was hot was merely a recognition of how the blonde was pleasing to the eyes. He was too disconnected from society to make connections between love, sex (his inadequate and erroneous understanding of it) and his feelings for Naruto.

But he thought of the boy next to him and gave a jerky nod.

Naruto caught the tiny sideways flick of Sasuke's eyes in his direction and suppressed a smirk. _I love you too, Sasuke._ "Good. Think about that person. What would you like to do with them? Something you think about when you're alone?"

Sasuke thought about nothing more than talking and spending time with Naruto when he was alone. Receiving his recognition. That was enough.

Naruto saw that this was getting them nowhere and advised Sasuke to just start rubbing. "Nature will take over," he muttered.

-oOo-

It did, too. Sasuke gasped in surprise at the way sensation seemed to pool in the length of flesh in his hand, concentrated there and in his balls until he bit his lip and emptied his own liquid in a series of embarrassing spurts. He couldn't breathe. When he could, his eyes flew to Naruto.

Naruto grinned. "See how drained you feel? I timed you, you lasted 12 seconds buddy. You definitely need to practice."

"Wow," was all Sasuke could say. Now he understood how weak he truly was. His whole body tingled with newly awakened nerves. "I want to try again."

* * *

He did. He did it all that day, until the afternoon when he looked up from his aching dick and pinned Naruto with a desperate glare. "Nothing's coming out anymore," he lamented.

Naruto was sprawled on his bed, watching Sasuke torture himself. "I'm surprised you're not coming in blood, man. I told you to stop three hours ago."

Sasuke tiredly began rubbing once more. "I have to get stronger. How long did I go that last time?"

"Eight minutes," Naruto said. It had been exciting, still was, but he was beat. He didn't know how Sasuke could even stand anymore.

"I'm getting stronger," Sasuke exulted fanatically. "I'm not stopping today until I can go ten minutes!"

Naruto, resigned to his apartment smelling like cum for the rest of eternity, got up to get a cup of ramen. Sasuke would need fuel and he was ravenous.


	4. Chapter 4

Sasuke was crippled.

He lay curled on his side, one leg in his pants, one leg out, and his right hand frozen stiff in a claw of pain. The muscles in that entire arm had cramped and refused to let go. His whole body was singing loudly in pain, come to think of it, but he was happy. He tried to laugh. It came out as a hoarse croak. "Unngh…"

Naruto came over and stood with his hands on his hips. "You should see yourself."

Sasuke rolled his eyes upward, trying to look at him. "Went… ten… minutes."

Naruto snorted. "Yeah and it only took you-" he consulted his watch. "Nine and a half hours. You need to stop. You'll make yourself sick if you keep doing this."

Sasuke couldn't move. "Help… me up."

Naruto did better than that. He got an arm around Sasuke, got his pants all the way on, and carried him back to his place. Sasuke told him which pocket had his keys. Once inside, Naruto dropped him on the couch and leaned over him, bracing his hands on the back of the couch to either side of Sasuke's head. Sasuke stared up at the blue eyes, trying not to fall asleep.

"You're not going to mention this, are you?" Naruto said in a low voice. His face was very close to Sasuke's.

"Huh uh."

"Promise?"

Sasuke managed a nod. Naruto gave a half smile. Coupled with his serious look, it made Sasuke feel absurdly weaker. Needy.

He wanted to kiss Naruto.

That gave him a shot of adrenaline, which had him jumping up from the couch, which scared the hell out of Naruto.

"What the fuck, Sasuke! Jesus, you nearly gave me a heart attack just now. What's wrong with you?" Naruto rubbed at his chest, eyes wide as he stared at Sasuke.

What indeed. Sasuke stood where he was, the adrenaline already wearing off. He looked sideways at Naruto, but the expression on the blonde's face was nothing like before, so the urge to kiss him didn't come back. That was a relief.

"Sasuke?" Naruto said. He took a step in his direction.

"Nothing. Fine. I'm fine. Uh…" Sasuke contrived a wide yawn and threw his arms over his head in a stretch. "I'm tired. I should get some sleep. Are we going to practice again tomorrow?"

Naruto said nothing about the obvious attempt to get him to leave. "You need to lay off the Jack-off no Jutsu for a week at least. Let yourself recover. We can hang out tomorrow if you want, do normal practice. I'll stop by your place in the afternoon, 'kay? Unless you want me to meet you somewhere?"

"Here's good," Sasuke said.

"Kay. Round three-ish?"

Sasuke nodded. Naruto let himself out. Sasuke stumbled to the door and locked it. He leaned against it. Then he slid down it and sat on the floor, thinking.

He'd never wanted to kiss anyone. Sakura had tried to kiss him once, for which he'd punched her, but he'd never wanted to have such intimate contact with another human being. He had a few memories of seeing his father kiss his mother… but that was hardly one boy kissing another.

Sasuke twitched his shoulders in shame. Kissing another boy had to be wrong. Wanting to kiss another boy could only mean something was wrong with him. He covered his eyes and moaned.

* * *

The next morning, Sasuke diligently spent one hour practicing the Jack-Off no Jutsu. He was dismayed at both the soreness in his cock and balls and the quickness with which he finished. He barely lasted four minutes. How could he have had such a relapse over night? At least he was able to ejaculate a healthy dose of what Naruto called spunk. Sasuke gauged that there was a full teaspoon there on the floor, and not the single drop that had been coming out close to the end last night. With time he thought he could double the amount he released and have a nice large splatter like Naruto.

He only stopped because he had serious business to attend to today before he met Naruto. The blonde had made some interesting comments yesterday that needed investigating.

-oOo-

Sakura spotted Sasuke loitering outside Ino's flower shop. She quickly hid herself, hoping she hadn't been seen. Almost as soon as she spotted him though, Sasuke began walking. She followed. It was her turn to stalk him, after all.

Sasuke seemed not to have a destination in mind. He ambled along, looking at nothing, talking to no one, until he reached a book stall in the market square. Sakura hid herself behind a produce vendor.

"Sakura."

She whirled and there was Sasuke standing a foot away. He grabbed her wrist and performed Shunshin.

-oOo-

She was breathless when they landed. Sasuke had her in his clutches! She hoped he ravished her. She stood placidly by as he scanned the area for anyone else. They were near the training grounds, and they were alone. Before he turned back to her, Sakura quickly undid the first few buttons on her top, hoping to entice him further.

Sasuke turned around and was faced with Sakura's wide green eyes. Her lips were parted, her breathing rapid as if she were excited about something. Unnatural bitch. What was there to be excited about being taken someplace by someone you knew hated you?

"You know why I brought you here, right?" he said tonelessly.

"You want me." Even her voice was strained with excitement.

Sasuke blinked. He wasn't sure what she meant. By 'want' he interpreted that she expected something good to happen here. Fine. If it kept the bitch off guard, he'd play along. "Yeah."

"Oh, Sasuke!" Sakura held her hands clasped beneath her chin, eyes now the size of tennis balls. "I've saved myself for you! I'm a virgin!"

Sasuke analyzed this comment, but could find no threat in it. "Virgin?"

Sakura nodded vehemently. "I haven't let anyone else touch me."

Thoroughly confused, Sasuke debated asking what she was talking about. He decided it didn't matter, and got on with his business. "I've been holding back from really touching you because you're a team mate."

Sakura nearly died. She sighed rapturously. " _Sasuke,_ " she squealed.

"I mean, I don't think Kakashi would like me doing the things I dream about doing to you," he went on. "Or Naruto, for that matter."

Sakura knew how jealous Naruto could get. He'd always been jealous of Sasuke before he left the village. Then the knowledge that Sasuke dreamed about doing things to her made her knees weak. She stiffened them so that she could remain standing. She was close to vomiting at having her love returned at last. He wanted her! He really wanted her! Oh god!

"I know you're sickeningly strong," Sasuke was saying, "But I can take you. You've been begging for this for a long time, so I suggest you accept it and don't try to fight back. You're lucky I've decided to let you live, is all."

"Fight back? I'd never fight you, Sasuke!" The comment about letting her live sent a rush of moisture pooling between her legs. He intended to be rough with her!

"Good." Sasuke advanced swiftly.

Sakura, always so blind where Sasuke was concerned, had her eyes opened for her at last. She did fight back. It didn't help.

* * *

Sai was home. He put down his notebook at hearing the knock on his door and went to answer it. His eyes widened in shock, then he was being shoved back into the room, the door kicked shut.

Sasuke took Sai's scroll and bottle of ink first thing and threw them across the room. The paint brush went the same way. He pressed Sai against the wall, grimacing at the need to touch him. "I don't like being followed," he ground out between clenched teeth. "A fact Sakura learned not too long ago."

Sai eyed the blood on Sasuke's knuckles, the tiny droplets of it on his face and hair, and said a silent prayer for whatever condition Sakura was in. "It was her idea, not mine."

"What do you want from me?" Sasuke said. "Besides your death."

Sai met the eyes so like his own without blinking. "You."

Sasuke backed off him. That was twice now the word 'want' had been mentioned in a context he didn't understand. He narrowed his eyes at Sai. "What do you mean?"

Sai rubbed his neck and straightened up. "Just what I said. I want you."

"For what?"

"For what? Well… for companionship, I guess."

Sasuke frowned. He _hated_ having a conversation with Sai, but he needed to understand what was going on. "We're team mates. What more do you need than that? You know I can't stand you."

"Being team mates is not the same as companionship. You seem to be into boys. I can take either or, but I'd prefer you. I always secretly thought you felt the same, since you go out of your way to hurt my feelings."

Sasuke's head was starting to spin. "What does that mean, into boys? You'd prefer me for what? You thought I felt the same as _what_ , precisely?"

Sai regarded him thoughtfully. "I have romantic feelings for you. Sexual feelings. Some boys prefer other boys. And the way you always stare at Naruto, I figured… you know."

Sasuke felt a glimmer of understanding. He understood the word romantic. Romantic feelings. Sai had romantic feelings for him. From there he made the connection with the statement 'other boys', and it was a simple progression from that to his urge last night to kiss Naruto. He dropped the kunai he'd been hiding behind his back. Realization dawned on him with all the ceremony of a choir of angels heralding the birth of some heavenly being. He stuttered out a question. "S-so… boys _can_ ki-uh… have feelings for other boys?"

Sai, correctly reading the awestruck look on Sasuke's face (Sasuke was staring up at the ceiling somewhere) realized he was giving his long-time crush an education. He took a few steps closer to him, glancing at where his ink and brushes lay. "Oh yes. It's actually fairly common."

The singing choir came to a screeching halt. Sasuke looked at Sai, stopping him in his tracks. "So that means _you_ want to kiss me."

Sai ran through several lies before settling on the truth. "Yes. And more."

Sasuke didn't care what 'more' might entail. Sai had transgressed all bounds with his admission. Sasuke abruptly remembered his reason for being there, snatched up his kunai, and ran at Sai with Sharingan whirling.

* * *

Sakura got home from the hospital late. She limped into the house, trying to be as quiet as possible. Tsunade-sama had healed most of her injuries. She herself had done the rest, but she was still incredibly sore and in pain. She made it to her room and eased her door shut. She went to her window, opened it, and found Sai waiting in the branches of the tree that stood outside her house. He climbed into her room as she turned from the window to sit on her bed.

Sai was bleeding, she saw. He held his body in such a way that told her he had other injuries. She patted the space by her bed, inviting Sai to sit. When he had, she held Mystical palm over him, assessing then healing what she found.

Neither wanted to come out and admit their embarrassment. Somehow they each knew who was responsible for the other's injuries. An hour slipped by in silence. Sai was sufficiently patched up for Sakura to let him finish healing on his own. He sat staring out her window pensively. He hadn't thought Sasuke rejecting him would hurt so much, injuries aside.

"I think we should stop following Sasuke," Sakura whispered after awhile.

Sai nodded without speaking. Then he turned and kissed Sakura on the mouth, startling her. She recovered, then she succumbed, slipping her arms around Sai's neck as he guided them to a horizontal position. At least someone wanted her.

It was her last night as a virgin.

* * *

Sasuke made it home that night and found Naruto waiting in front of his door. The blonde stood up at seeing Sasuke covered in blood.

"What happened to you? I've been waiting since 3 'O clock, I thought you were going to meet me." At getting a closer look at Sasuke, Naruto put a hand on his shoulder. "You okay, man? Are you hurt?"

Sasuke shook his head, unlocking his door in the process. Naruto followed him inside.

-oOo-

This morning he'd made several clones and dispersed them throughout the village, waiting to see if Sai would follow him again. One of the clones spotted Sakura tailing it and he'd gone to that location. Before he'd finished with her, he'd gotten her to tell him that she and Sai followed him everyday. He'd been incensed, aware that his fixation on Naruto had given him a blind spot to all else. She'd screamed and begged for mercy before the end.

After dealing with Sai, he'd needed time to think. Sai's words had opened a door of possibilities in him. Realizing he needed information, he'd gone to Kakashi and asked if any of his books talked about boys loving boys. Kakashi had stared at him with that bland expression.

"Why are you asking?" his sensei had queried.

"Naruto said those books you read are about sex. Sai said he has sexual feelings for… some boy. He said boys can like boys. I want to educate myself."

"I don't read yaoi."

Sasuke had frowned. "Where can I learn more?"

Kakashi, privately trying not to laugh, but noting the blood on Sasuke's hands, managed to say, "Why don't you try Naruto? He seems to have come back with quite a bit of new knowledge."

But Sasuke hadn't asked Naruto. He'd gone off to his customary spot for watching Naruto's apartment and spent the evening thinking.

-oOo-

Now he was here with Naruto and he still had no idea what it really meant that he'd felt like kissing him. He didn't waste time thinking about it more, though. He only went to his bathroom, washed up quickly, and put on clean clothes. When he came back into the living room, he found Naruto looking around his place with admiration.

"Sweet digs," Naruto said. "You going to tell me what you were doing today?"

Sasuke ignored this to ask, "Why was I only able to go four minutes when I practiced the Jack-Off no Jutsu this morning?"

Naruto covered his mouth briefly. Sasuke thought maybe he'd been about to laugh, but the blonde's next words were serious. "Probably because you were slightly recovered. You only lasted as long as you did last night because you'd exhausted yourself. When you can go ten minutes before coming while being fresh, then you can consider yourself making progress."

Sasuke nodded, filing this information away. This jutsu was uncommonly difficult, he saw. Which ranked it right up there with Chidori. Chidori sucked you dry too. "Yosh, I want to practice again."

Naruto grinned. "Had a feeling you'd say that. If you drop dead, you can't say I didn't warn you. Want me to do it with you?"

"Yes. Like last time."

They sat side by side on the couch, units in hand, and started practicing.


	5. Chapter 5

 

Sasuke felt the tightening in his balls, the way his body was tingling and tensing, and knew he was about to finish soon. Glancing sideways, he saw the way Naruto controlled his breathing, slowing down his strokes as he did so, and imitated him. He felt the tingling, tensing, about-to-finish sensation ease up a bit. "Breathing helps you last longer," he observed with wonder. He was accustomed to holding his breath as he neared the end.

Naruto nodded. "When you're about to come, stop stroking. Wait till you calm down then start up again."

They worked at it, panting in the darkened living room, sweating. Occasionally one or the other boy would let out a moan. Once, Sasuke heard Naruto whisper his name so low that he could have imagined it. When he looked over at him, he saw that Naruto has his eyes closed, fist tight around his dick. He made progress. It was fifteen minutes before Sasuke lost control. Naruto was right behind him a stroke later. Sasuke was proud of himself. Then he noticed how his hands were shaking.

Naruto turned to him. "Looks like you got the first stage down. Ready for the second stage?"

Sasuke turned so he was facing Naruto as well. "Yes."

"It's harder."

"I think I've demonstrated that my Uchiha body can handle the stress of this jutsu."

Naruto dipped his head, giggling. "Guess you have. Okay. This time let me be the one stroking you."

Sasuke frowned. "Why?"

"Because it's harder to control yourself when someone else is doing it."

Sasuke was skeptical. "Okay."

Naruto fished something out of a back pocket. He held it up to Sasuke. "This is a lubricant. Lube. Going it dry starts hurting after awhile, and I know you've noticed how spit dries up quickly. This helps the process along." He squirted some into his cupped palm.

Sasuke was intrigued. The substance was clear, glistening in the dark on Naruto's hand as he closed his fist and smeared it on his fingers. He moved closer to Sasuke, reaching for his dick.

"Oh," Sasuke said in a small voice. "Oh." It was all he could manage.

Having someone else touch him made every nerve in his body scream in awareness. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was Naruto doing the touching. He couldn't imagine his breath freezing and his scalp prickling and his heart knocking if it had been Sai holding his dick.

That was all Naruto did at first, was hold it. He gently squeezed and released a few times, and Sasuke felt a deluge of heat swamp his entire body. He started breathing again with a convulsive lurch of his lungs. He was paralyzed, his body stiff.

Naruto grinned. "You like that?" he asked softly.

Like. Sasuke supposed he did. He hadn't really considered the feelings his body went through while practicing, but now he supposed they could be termed pleasurable. If pleasure could be defined as these wild sensations. He gave a single jerky nod. "Yes."

Naruto moved even closer. Sasuke moved backward, and Naruto kept moving closer until Sasuke was reclining against the arm of the couch. Naruto was reclining next to him, still holding him intimately. The blonde propped his head on a hand and stared down at Sasuke's face. "Just breathe, Sasuke."

Sasuke tried to. Naruto began slowly, and the distinction lube made was immediately noticeable to the Uchiha.

Beyond the obvious, there was a huge difference between touching himself and having Naruto touch him. Sasuke stroked doggedly until done. Naruto had a subtler technique. He twisted his hand sinuously as he stroked, dipped his fingers lower to massage Sasuke's balls, rolled his palm over the rounded tip of Sasuke's dick. Sasuke tried frantically to breathe as he'd recently learned, but it was impossible. Naruto was propelling him headlong towards finishing and nothing he did would stop it from happening. He was aware, through the fading coherence of his mind, that Naruto was being an excellent teacher, employing skill and knowledge of the jutsu to make Sasuke work for control. As he ejaculated on them both, he cried out three words.

"Thank you, Naruto!"

Naruto was quite worked up himself. The way Sasuke bit his lip, twisted and writhed, gripped Naruto's pants leg… it was fucking hot. Sasuke was hot. His dark eyes, previously squeezed shut, flew open at the moment he came. Naruto was thinking how totally kissable Sasuke looked, when the words surprised him.

They lay there for a few moments, Sasuke breathing noisily, and Naruto studying his face. When Sasuke was calmer, Naruto asked, "What do you mean? Why are you thanking me?"

Sasuke took a final deep breath as his body worked through a last shudder. He felt drowsy. "I hate it here."

That was an odd way to answer the question, Naruto thought.

Sasuke stared up at the light patterns on his ceiling from the street lamps outside. He felt weightless, comfortable. Naruto's warm body was pressed all along his right side and his spunk was cooling on his midsection. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to tell Naruto what he could never tell anyone else. He felt that weak, needy feeling again, but this time it didn't make him think about kissing. It just made him feel incredibly close to the blonde. "You have no idea what it's like for me here, Naruto. I can't stand it.

"It's like being in prison. I'm watched. I don't mean by Sakura and Sai, I mean by ANBU. By Kakashi. By Tsunade. It's why Team 7 still exists. It's supposed to keep me in line, to make sure I don't leave and that no one approaches me. I keep waiting for Kakashi to admit the real reason Sai is still on the team even with you back, but I already know. He's there to prevent me from leaving, too."

Naruto released Sasuke's dick, which he'd been lightly holding, and rested his hand on Sasuke's stomach. He'd had no idea that this was what Sasuke was going through.

"I know no one cares about me finding Itachi and killing him." Sasuke continued. "No one really wants me to get stronger. They think I'll forget, that I'll be able to live my life knowing what he did…"

Sasuke's eyes glazed over with tears. One slipped free and ran down the side of his head. They were tears of utter defeat and frustration. Naruto was shocked. "Sasuke…" The Uchiha didn't try to hide or dry his tears. Naruto felt awed and humbled to be allowed to witness them. There was silence for a while. Naruto kept his eyes on Sasuke's face, inexplicably angry on his behalf.

"I saw him do it," Sasuke whispered hauntingly. "Itachi showed me. He showed me how he killed everyone. How he killed our parents. He expects me to come after him. I have to do it, Naruto, and the only one helping me at all is you." Sasuke turned his head to look at the stricken blue eyes. "So thank you."

Naruto wanted to vomit. He was disgusted with himself. Sasuke really thought he was getting stronger, and all Naruto was doing was exploiting his deep desire for revenge. He was the worst friend ever. He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the couch to lean his head in his hands. He felt like crying too, now. He heard Sasuke sitting up beside him.

"I'm not helping you, not really," Naruto said quietly. "You shouldn't be thanking me, Sasuke. I'm… just being selfish."

"What do you mean?"

Naruto peeked at Sasuke. He saw the curious frown on those handsome features and found that he couldn't admit the truth of the Jack-Off no Jutsu. He couldn't heap more disappointment on Sasuke, not after hearing the hell he lived with daily. He amended what he was going to say. "Sasuke…"

"What."

"You remember what I said to you in the hospital that time? After our fight?"

Sasuke thought. "About how you would have helped me do anything?"

"Yeah."

"What about it? You _are_ helping me."

Naruto hunched his shoulders uncomfortably. "I'm not. I mean… I can help you more."

Sasuke moved to pull one of Naruto's hands down from where he had his head leaning in it. "How?"

Sitting up straighter, squaring his shoulders, Naruto turned to meet Sasuke's eyes. "I'll help you leave the village."

It was a second before Sasuke could understand the words. No. No way. "Orochimaru?" he whispered.

Naruto nodded. "You're my friend, Sasuke. My best friend. I can't really sit by and watch you suffer like this. I'll… I'll help you with your revenge. With getting stronger for real, and finding Itachi. All of it."

Thoughts and possibilities tangled up in Sasuke until all he could do was splutter. "Are you _serious_?"

"Dead serious."

Sasuke stood up quickly, closing his pants as he paced up and down. "It can't be done. There's no way out of the village, Naruto."

Now Naruto smiled. "Oh, I'm sure we can come up with something. How many ways can you split your chakra?"

* * *

Merchants regularly traded with Konoha. Wagons came and went, laden with goods. The wagons were searched at Konoha's gates by the Chuunins on guard.

Kakashi passed a farmer selling chickens on his way to pay his respects to Obito the following morning. He stopped, letting the donkey-drawn cart with its squalling burden pass him by. He noted idly that one of the chickens had blue eyes.

At the grounds, he saw Sasuke and Naruto training in the far distance. He nodded satisfactorily to himself, wondering if Sasuke had ever had that talk with Naruto. He'd seen Sai and Sakura an hour ago. Both had been blushing furiously. Some of Sakura's bruises looked suspiciously like love bites. He'd have to have a talk with them all later on. If his team was going around screwing each other behind his back, then they needed to know about taking precautions.

But then he got to the monument and several hours were lost. Kakashi figured tomorrow would be as good a time as any to approach his team.

All in all, it wasn't until nearly two days later that Naruto and Sasuke were discovered missing. The Fifth had the village turned upside down, all guards on duty questioned violently. The Fire Country was scoured by ANBU. Every merchant that had entered or exited the village during the past week was tracked down and searched, questioned, and threatened.

No one knew anything. No one had seen them. They were gone.

Weeks later, Kakashi passed a child holding a stuffed chicken and remembered the chicken he'd seen with blue eyes, but it was too late for the information to be of any use.

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto had reached the Sound village. They approached factions there who worked for Orochimaru and were directed to another hideout, and from there to yet another hideout. That went on for weeks, until finally they reached the upper echelon of Orochimaru's network. A month to the day since they'd left the village, the two boys stood looking into the distance at a facility built into the side of a cliff. Orochimaru, their latest guides had said, was waiting for them both.

"This is it," Naruto said quietly.

"Yes."

"You really going to give your body to Orochimaru?" Naruto said this without taking his eyes off the hideout.

Sasuke snorted. "That was never my intention, actually. I'll use him until I don't need him anymore."

Naruto nodded. "Guess you won't be needing the Jack-off no Jutsu now, what with all the stuff you'll be learning from him, neh?"

"I like doing it. With you." Sasuke turned his head to look at Naruto. "You'll be learning from him right along with me, but I hope that doesn't mean we have to stop practicing. You were going to show me the third step. A blow job, remember?"

Naruto nodded. Then he said, "It doesn't really make you stronger, you know."

Sasuke stared at him. "It doesn't? Then what is it about?"

They were standing in a copse of trees at the edge of a ravine. The cliff housing Orochimaru's hideout was on the other side of the ravine. Naruto backed Sasuke against one of the trees now. "This," he said. And he kissed Sasuke's parted lips.

Sasuke's breath was taken away. His body felt the way it did when he was practicing the Jack-Off no Jutsu, all heat and tingling awareness. Then he realized that Naruto was actually kissing him and he hastened to kiss him back, imitating what the blonde was doing to him.

_I want him,_ Sasuke realized giddily. _Whatever that means. And he wants me, too._

They broke apart, leaning their foreheads against each other, breathing heavily. The kiss wasn't mentioned. Not verbally, anyway. They touched each other's arms and shoulders shyly, aware of the new dimension to their friendship. They hugged and it wasn't uncomfortable. It was good. Whatever barrier that had stood between them, left over from their rocky beginnings, was gone. There was no awkwardness. There was just the two of them, two young men who were closer to each other than they'd ever been to anyone else in their lives.

"It's going to be dangerous, studying from Orochimaru." Naruto said when he could speak. "He'll probably have us doing some evil shit."

"You'll be with me, though."

"No doubt."

"No matter what happens."

"No matter what. I got your back, Sasuke."

"And I have yours," Sasuke replied. He touched Naruto's cheek with a finger, making the blonde lift his head to pin him with those clear eyes. Sasuke dropped his hand, slightly embarrassed. "Let's go."

They turned towards the ravine to begin searching for a way across. Naruto reached for Sasuke's hand and held it as they headed towards their new lives. Sasuke squeezed the strong hand in his own tightly, feeling Naruto squeeze back just as hard.


End file.
